23 January 2012

More than 100 mayors from across the nation have formed a coalition with Freedom to Marry called "Mayors for the Freedom to Marry." The notables include: New York City's Michael Bloomberg, Los Angeles' Antonio Villaraigosa, Chicago's Rahm Emanuel, Washington DC's Vincent Gray, Newark's Cory Booker, Philadelphia's Michael Nutter and Houston's Annise Parker, who is openly lesbian, and recently re-elected as mayor of the nation's fourth largest city.

Villaraigosa, who chairs the campaign as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, spoke about growing up without a father as he highlighted the importance of family. He said the lack of marriage equality for same-sex couples has directly impacted members of his own family.

"I've seen the many faces of those hurt by the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8 in California," said Villaraigosa. "They are members of my own family. They're our nation's own children who face daily bullying and violence because of who they are or who people think they are. They're the couples the joyous marriages I've had the honor of presiding over, whose special day was shared by friends and families before their rights were stripped away."

Parker spoke about the difficulties that she and her partner of nearly 21 years faced when they adopted their three children. A series of insurance, custodial and educational challenges followed suit. "One simple thing would have made a tremendous difference in the lives of my family and truly the lives of millions of Americans, and that is access to the rights and privileges of marriage," said Parker.

The coalition could become key in the coming months. Marriage equality legislation has recently been introduced in Washington and is expected to soon be re-introduced in Maryland and New Jersey.

The 40-year-old, biracial muscle boy is a bachelor and has fueled considerable speculation that he was not of the heterosexual variety. Last May, bookies in Las Vegas placed odds 350 to 1 that the former action star would come out of the closet. When asked in Details magazine about his sexuality, Vin told the interviewer that he was private and preferred to date in Europe.

30 May 2007

For the second year in a row, BetUS, one of the largest gambling sites on the internets, offers odds on "the next gay celebrities coming out of the closet." Odds-on favorites: Sexually ambiguous muscle boy Vin Diesel at 350 to 1.

"Vin Diesel's odds have been slashed only slightly" since the site began taking bets last year and offered his chances at 400 to one. The oddsmakers started taking bets after Details reported the actor said he "preferred dating in Europe" and celebrity-on-celebrity hookups were "a sucker’s bet."

"I don't know," admits Sparky Collins with BetUS. "Vin may take it to the grave."

BetUs is also taking the odds on John Travolta, Peyton Manning, Condoleezza Rice and Jake Gyllenhaal's coming out parties.

07 May 2007

Switching gears from politics to entertainment: New reports say Vin Diesel's temperamental behavior on the set of Babylon AD has caused massive overtime, delays, and, a nervous breakdown for the film's director.

One source on the set says, "Diesel shows up late all the time. He's laughing because he gets paid overtime for his delays. They were shooting in Prague on soundstages and were finally kicked out by another film and had to shut down for two weeks because the director had a nervous breakdown."

Babylon AD is almost a month behind schedule and an official at Film Finances Inc., which provided the completion bond for the picture, confirmed, "It has been a difficult shoot for everybody."

However, director Mathieu Kassovitz is also well-known for being difficult on the set. Some have said laid the blame squarely at this feet. "He's a different kind of director," one source says. "And doesn't always mesh with people on the set."

06 December 2006

· After months of wrangling and delay, the Senate passed a compromise plan to re-authorize funding for the Ryan White CARE Act, the primary federal funding vehicle for low-income Americans living with HIV and AIDS. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton brokered the deal that saw a reduction in cuts to the larger states while still giving more money to rural areas. Under the old plan, New York state would have lost $100 million. Now, the Empire State will lose only $8 million.

· That was fast. The Senate votes 95 to 2 to confirm Robert Gates as the new defense secretary, just one day after the former CIA director's unanimous approval by the Senate Armed Services Committee.

· New Jersey: Legislation to allow civil unions will get its first committee hearing tomorrow. The state's largest LGBT rights group vows to block the measure and says the Democratic-controlled legislature is trying to steamroll a bill which is not even as inclusive as Vermont's civil unions law. "The 60 pages of paper used to print this bill is an assault on the trees killed," says Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality.

· Write your own homoerotic fantasy starring Vin Diesel! Via Fleshbot, a fan site devoted to slash art and fiction. A sample: "He's got this body that's amazing" reads one story that is serialized in 20-plus chapters. "Tight muscles, wow, his ass is so very fine. He moves quickly. Bam! He can strike before you even see him."

· Kenny Goss to longtime partner George Michael: The wedding is off. Following the troubled singer's latest embarrassing tabloid incident—a weekend sexual tryst in a park with an unemployed truck driver—a source told told The Daily Mail the couple is "reassessing their relationship at the moment" and "things are very much up in the air." As far as that long-promised civil union is concerned, the source says, "They do not feel that it is relevant now."

23 May 2006

Karamo is returning to MTV. In a new video interview at Club Rimshot, the Real World alum and budding activist dishes his new reality show plans and other activities: "I'm going on a speaking tour on lgbt issues to colleges and universities. Also, I just started a nonprofit organization. And, third ... I just made a cameo appearance on The DL Chronicles."

One of the best sections of the interview is about halfway through when Karamo and Edgardo, his boyfriend of two years, discuss the challenges they have faced as an inter-racial couple. "Many brothers have criticized me for dating a Puerto Rican boy. I love my brothers, this is just who I ended up with."

Actor/comedian Jermaine Taylor—star of the new all-gay revival of television game show I've Got a Secret—is interviewed at KeithBoykin.com: "I often get compared to [Nipsey Russell] and I don't mind because I love him. He was doing a lot before he was doing game shows but people don't remember."